Battle of Luoyang (196)

The Battle of Luoyang occurred in 196 AD when the army of Cao Cao, protecting Emperor Xian of Han, defeated the rebel armies of Dong Zhuo's former generals Li Jue and Guo Si at the restored imperial capital of Luoyang. Cao Cao was able to destroy Li Jue and Guo Si's military might, reducing them to fugitives. However, the Han loyalists Yang Feng and Han Xian, who had helped the Emperor escape in the first place, feared that they would be supplanted by the mighty Cao Cao, and they resisted his plans to move the capital from famine-stricken Luoyang to Xuchang in the west. Cao Cao was able to convince Yang Feng's general Xu Huang to defect, and he then defeated Yang Feng's White Wave Bandits, forcing Yang Feng and Han Xian to flee to Yuan Shu's court.

Background
In 196 AD, after escaping from the captivity of Dong Zhuo's former generals Li Jue and Guo Si, Emperor Xian of Han returned to the old imperial capital of Luoyang, which now housed only a few hundred starving families. The loyal Han general Dong Cheng persuaded the Emperor to flee to the Huashan Mountains as Li Jue and Guo Si's armies neared the capital, and it was there that they met Xiahou Dun's 50,000-strong force of Cao Cao's army, which had been summoned to protect the Emperor. Xiahou Dun and Cao Cao's other generals graciously introduced themselves to the Emperor and offered their services, and Cao Cao ordered his army to destroy the rebels.

Campaign
Li Jue and Guo Si's army came up to Luoyang quickly, and Xiahou Dun and Cao Hong's armies attacked Li Jue and Guo Si's armies in two parts. Cao Cao's forces slew 10,000 of the rebels' soldiers and routed them, and Xiahou Dun guarded Luoyang as the Emperor returned to his small, rebuilt palace. The next day, Cao Cao came with his great army of 200,000 troops and was named Commander of the Capital District and Minister of War. Li Jue and Guo Si sought to attack Cao Cao's fatigued army, but Jia Xu opposed the plan due to Cao Cao's superior soldiery. Li Jue then threatened to kill Jia Xu, who decided to return to his native village that night. Soon, the rebels decided to again offer battle, so Cao cao sent out Xu Chu, Cao Ren, and Dian Wei with 300 horse to skirmish with the rebels before the battle lines were drawn. Li Xian and Li Bie, Li Jue's nephews, rode out to do battle, but Xu Chu killed and beheaded both of them. Cao Cao led the main attack as Xiahou Dun and Cao Hong led flank attacks, and tens of thousands of rebels were killed. Li Jue and Guo Si were forced to take to the hills and hide among the brushwood, and Cao Cao returned to Luoyang in victory.

Moving the Capital
With Cao Cao's arrival, Yang Feng and Han Xian feared that they would no longer be needed by the Emperor, so they withdrew to Daliang under the excuse that they wished to pursue the rebels. Cao Cao soon met the likes of Dong Zhao, who originally served as a messenger, but advised him about Yang Feng and Han Xian's departure, and claimed that Li Jue and Guo Si would not outrun Cao Cao for long. He also advised a change of capital to Xuchang, a move which would keep the Emperor safe, but which would displease many. Dong Zhao then advised Cao Cao to write to Yang Feng and set his mind at rest and explain to the high officials that the reason for the move was famine in Luoyang and an abundance of food at Xuchang.

Yang Feng's attack
Cao Cao's army set out with the Emperor and the court officials in tow, but they were halted by Yang Feng and Han Xian's White Wave Bandits. Cao Cao sent out Xu Chu to fight Xu Huang after he accused Cao Cao of stealing away the Emperor, but Cao Cao called off the attack due to Xu Huang's martial abilities. Cao Cao then returned to his camp and held a war council, seeking to gain Xu Huang's services. His general Man Chong volunteered to slip into Yang Feng's camp disguised as a common soldier, and he informed Xu Huang that Cao Cao invited him to serve him instead. Xu Huang realized that his masters were doomed to failure, and he decided to defect to Cao Cao, although he refused to slay his two masters as an introductory gift. The next day, Yang Feng set out with 1,000 horsemen to capture Xu Huang but he was ambushed and escaped. Yang Feng and Han Xian fled to Yuan Shu, as they had too few men to maintain their independence.

Aftermath
Cao Cao ultimately succeeded in moving the Emperor to Xuchang, and the city was rebuilt as an imperial capital. Dong Cheng and thirteen others were raised to lordship, and Cao Cao became Prime Minister and Regent Marshal. He also promoted all of his generals to imperial ranks, and Xu Chu and Dian Wei were given command of the capital's defenses. In a move suggested to him by Xun yu, Cao Cao then made Liu Bei the official Governor of Xu Province, but sent him a private note to get rid of his general Lu Bu, one of Cao Cao's archenemies. Liu Bei refused to kill Lu Bu and even prevented his sworn brother Zhang Fei from carrying out Cao Cao's orders, so Cao Cao sent a false edict to Liu Bei urging him to attack Yuan Shu, hoping to have both of the warlords destroy each other. Liu Bei's strategist Mi Zhu saw through the ploy and declared it a ruse, but Liu Bei decided that a royal command should not be disobeyed, and he left Zhang Fei and Chen Deng in charge of Xuzhou as Liu Bei marched on Nanyang with 30,000 troops, leading to Cao Cao's plan being fulfilled.